Maggie Smith

As he might say, modern life would be very tedious if we didn't have his works to savor, and modern theater a complete impossibility — modern television, too, as Julian Fellowes proves every season writing for Maggie Smith's character, the delectable Dowager Countess of Grantham, on "Downton Abbey."

As much fun as it can be to try imitation, nothing ever beats the real thing, of course. And for the real thing, nothing ever tops Wilde's final play, "The Importance of Being Earnest," which opened on Valentine's Day 120 years ago in London and is currently receiving a respectable revival...

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There is just no underestimating the importance of Oscar Wilde.
As he might say, modern life would be very tedious if we didn't have his works to savor, and modern theater a complete impossibility — modern television, too, as Julian Fellowes proves every...

If you're a fan of awards shows, drinking isn't required to get through the three-hour self-celebration that is the Emmy Awards. But it sure makes it more fun.
And if you're either not a big awards show person (or perhaps forced to watch for some...

All it takes is a little swine emergency for Mary to claim herself a third suitor.
It's about a year after Matthew's death, and, yeah, it's a bit jarring to see Mary pursued by three men so soon. But it's also a bit fun. Well, Lord Gillingham is...

They might be a little snooty, but it would be hard to find a family more welcome in these parts than the Crawleys of “Downton Abbey” — at least in Owings Mills, home of Maryland Public Television.Just as “American Idol” in its heyday used to attract tens...

The biggest winner Sunday at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards had to be Showtime’s “Homeland,” which took the top three drama awards in an upset over such favorites as “Mad Men” and Downton Abbey.” But Baltimore-based productions and stars had a very big...

"TV is a vast wonderland. There's no place like TV. Except for HBO, it's not TV."That was the opening lyric sung by Jane Lynch, and it left me ice cold. It didn't work as a show tune, and it failed worse in its attempt to cut it as both salute...

"Downton Abbey" star Dame Maggie Smith wants Emmy host Jimmy Kimmel to show her where her Emmy is.
Kimmel joked during his Emmy monologue Sunday night that stars had to be present to win under what he called "the Maggie Smith rule."...

There were some inevitabilities going in to the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night: “The People v. O.J. Simpson” would win big, Maggie Smith wouldn’t show up even if she won, and we’d hear lots of Donald Trump jokes.
But the telecast, hosted...

British playwright Peter Shaffer, whose durable, award-winning hits included "Equus" and "Amadeus," has died. He was 90.
Shaffer's agent, Rupert Lord, said the playwright died Monday while on a visit to southwestern Ireland with...

It's been 60 years since Maggie Smith made her Broadway debut. But despite her current standing as one of the grande dames of British acting, she didn't appear in a Shakespearean tragedy, a George Bernard Shaw satire or a sophisticated Noel Coward comedy....

It takes a special kind of actress to play a woman who has clearly soiled herself as regal and dignified. That actress is Maggie Smith, who, as a sick, old, cantankerous neighborhood vagabond named Miss Shepherd, rides an ambulance wheelchair lift like...

A British royal venturing below stairs? Carson would no doubt disapprove, but that's just what Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, did on Thursday in a visit to the set of "Downton Abbey" at London's Ealing Studios.
According to the Twitter...

In news that is sure to delight Anglophiles the world over, on Thursday Kensington Palace announced via Twitter that Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, or as us commoners like to call her, Kate, will visit the set of "Downton...

From the moment Lord Grantham mentioned how tired Isis looked, we all knew this day was coming. But that doesn't make it any easier. Rest in peace, you kindly Labrador.
It seems every season of "Downton Abbey" brings at least one high-profile...

"There's nothing sadder than a washed-up reality star. ... They have two minutes of fame but the problem is the two minutes have redefined their entire lives. ... Now, everyone wants a campaign, a brand of their own ... I think everyone wants to...